Dodd: Health care "hanging on by a thread"

It's not so much that Democratic Sen. Chris Dodd said health care reform's outcome could hinge on a couple of swing votes — everybody knows that — but rather how he said it. Perhaps he was trying to inject more urgency into the already compressed timeline, but "hanging on by a thread" is a phrase that is probably more helpful to opponents than supporters.

CNBC reports:

Health care reform is "hanging on by a thread," and one or two votes could determine the outcome of the heavily-debated bill, Democratic Sen. Chris Dodd told CNBC Monday.

"Everyone feels, I guess, to some degree who have been for this, that they would have liked something different, and that's not uncommon when you're considering an issue of this magnitude," Dodd said.

President Obama's administration has come under fire lately for putting too much emphasis on health care reform, causing many to question whether Democrats will retain their majority control come November. But Dodd, who is retiring this year, said it's an issue that needed to be dealt with — otherwise it would "strangle our economy," he said.

"If this is all about surviving politically, then we're missing the whole purpose of what we're supposed to be doing," he said.